Process Condensate Purification via Reverse Osmosis and Electrodeionisation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing processes for purifying process condensate from steam reforming or steam cracking processes often fail to meet high purity requirements for export steam, particularly in terms of electrical conductivity, due to the presence of impurities, leading to inefficiencies and additional costs for secondary purification steps.
Innovation Solution
The process condensate is treated using a combination of reverse osmosis and electrodeionisation, where the condensate is first subjected to reverse osmosis followed by electrodeionisation to remove ionisable impurities, resulting in a conductivity level suitable for clean steam production, which is then used externally or recycled within the process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If process condensate is mixed with demineralised water and vaporised to generate export steam, then production efficiency is improved and heat utilisation is increased, but the electrical conductivity of the export steam exceeds quality requirements due to impurities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by implementing a stripping column before the vaporisation process to remove impurities from process condensate. The stripping column uses steam stripping to eliminate contaminants such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, and organic acids, ensuring that the subsequent export steam meets quality requirements without needing additional purification steps
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses an intermediary substance (stripping steam) to transfer and remove impurities from the process condensate. The stripping steam acts as a mediator that carries away harmful components through the stripping column, allowing the process condensate to be purified before mixing with demineralised water for export steam generation
2Manufacturing precision
If stripping columns and ion exchange reactors are used to purify process condensate, then export steam quality is improved, but apparatus costs and process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the harmful impurities from process condensate using a stripping column, separating the purified condensate from contaminants. This extraction approach eliminates the need for complex ion exchange reactors while achieving the required export steam quality, thereby reducing apparatus costs and process complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters by using steam stripping at controlled temperatures and pressures to selectively remove impurities. By optimizing the stripping process parameters (temperature, pressure, steam flow rate), the system achieves effective purification without requiring additional complex purification equipment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach achieves a conductivity of 0.06 µS/cm, meeting the requirements for clean steam, while significantly reducing apparatus costs and operational complexity compared to traditional methods, enabling efficient and cost-effective production of high-purity steam.
Implementation Method 1
the process condensate is fed to a reverse osmosis process prior to the electrodeionisation process
Implementation Method 2
the process condensate is fed to an electrodeionisation process, whereby the process condensate is fed to a reverse osmosis process prior to the electrodeionisation process
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention discloses a process for cleaning a process condensate 17 from a steam reforming process or steam cracking process. The process condensate 17 is fed to an electrodionisation process 7 for cleaning.